Past Present and Future Confusion
by Samantha Wealsey
Summary: Rated for minimal swearing... Not bad stuff just swearing... Anyway... Uhm... Well... The Ronins have grown up and are living normal lives until the return of an old friend who turns out to be an enemy. The summary sucks, just read the dern thing and tel
1. Default Chapter

**_Past Present and Future Confusion_**

**__**

**Loki Weasley**

**Part One:  _The Old Flame_**

Ryo watched silently as Rowen went about work.  The Ronins had grown up.  Now they were Twenty-three, all about even, and living normal lives as if Talpa had never occurred.  As if Mukura, Luna, Suzanagi never occurred.  Rowen became one of the youngest astronomers to Toyama, Ryo a Wild-life photographer like his father, Cye a marine biologist, Kento went on to own the family business, and Sage to own Kendo dojos Japan-wide, care of his family.  Ryo was here because some archeology dig down by the farmlands had produced some great pictures of animals on walls, even a few remnants of past creatures.  He was only in Japan for that reason... That... and a reunion with old friends.  Without much adieu Ryo walked out of Rowen's less-than-tidy apartment and headed for the dig. It was supposed to be good money.  And Dr. Osirus was one of the best in her field...

Ryo reached the dig about an hour after he left Rowen's. The ride was rather menial.  He just sort of twiddled his thumbs through the ride listening to the radio, which was having a Michael Jackson Weekend thing...  He would probably never get 'Billie Jean' out of his head.  Once arrived, he waited not-so patiently in a trailer for Dr. Osirus to enter.  Didn't take her very long.  While Ryo was examining an Egyptian cat statue the door to the trailer opened and someone walked in, bathed in sunlight.  He turned to her.  Slim form, young, about his age, slim blue jeans, tight white tank-top, long black hair tied back haphazardly in a pony tail, tan skin... way too familiar blue eyes...  Ryo stared, trying to remember where he had seen such endlessly abandoned, starry-night eyes before...

The woman also stared back.  After a moment she smiled.  "Hello, Ryo.  Good to see you again." she said, walking up to him so she was maybe half a foot away.  "How have you been?"

"..." Ryo stared. Suddenly it hit him like a ton of bricks.  Where had he seen this woman before?  When he had seen her last, she was a girl, maybe fifteen, attending Hana High with him and the other Ronin Warriors. "Astraea?" he asked cautiously.  "Astraea Yuki?" 

The woman nodded slowly, sadly.  "The one and only.  My... my mother remarried, took on a new last name." she shrugged.  She turned to the door, clasping her hands behind her back.  "So how have you and the guys been?" she asked curiously.  "What's changed in Toyama since I left?"

"Without a trace, no less, Astraea.  Why'd you leave so suddenly?  Without telling us.  Without telling Rowen?" Ryo asked, coming to stand beside the woman.  He shifted his gaze to her; her eyes were pretending to be interested in the door.  Her mouth was moving but no sound escaped it.  She looked on the verge of tears...  Ryo sighed.  "What's wrong, what happened, Astraea?" he demanded forcefully.  Something was obviously up.  Back then Astraea never showed negative emotions.  She was a lot like Kento and Cye in that way; rather unable to see the down-side of things.

"I...I..." Astraea turned to him, smiling falsely.  "It doesn't matter anymore, Ryo.  Come on, let's go to the site..." she brushed it all off and walked outside into the daylight.  Ryo simply sighed and followed.  She wasn't talking...  He followed her to a large cylinder-like hole in the ground and followed her. They dropped down inside, about a seven foot drop, and stood on hard stone floor.  Around the walls were nine animals perfectly preserved in picture.  Ryo lifted his camera and started taking pictures.  The click and grinding was all that made any noise in the open-roof room.  Astraea seemed to be examining the large silver Pegasus.  Ryo had never seen anything like it.  It was a realistic picture complete with a set of stars in its mane.  

A phoenix, a Pegasus, a unicorn, a sea serpent, a sphinx.  A spider, an anaconda, a jackal, and wolf.  Ryo took pictures of all the creatures, circling around where he stood, then thought a moment.  "It's rather odd.  Magical creatures... but then.... normal ones....  What do you make of it, Dr. Osirus?" Ryo asked, pushing any familiarity with the woman out of his mind.  She wasn't going to even try to be friends, tell him anything, so he'll keep it professional.

Astraea, who was still gazing at the Pegasus, stroking its stone mane, turned to him.  She looked a little hurt at the 'Dr.' comment, but shook it off.  "I haven't figured that out yet, Mr. Sanada." she replied, folding her arms and leaning against the wall, giving him a look.  But she looked to Ryo like she understood.  "You see, this is the first of its kind anyone's ever come across.  No-one's ever seen anything like it.  Animals, yes, but never these specific in one place..." she shrugged.  Suddenly she toppled backwards, yelling in surprise as she did so.  A trap door had opened behind her.  She was rather unbecomingly sprawled out on her behind on the stone floor, rubbing her head.  "What on earth..." she muttered, looking around her curiously.  Ryo stepped around her, holding a lantern up to get a better view of the entire room.  It was just a room.  Dark, empty.  Simply a room.  Astraea was at his side, running her hands along the walls, perhaps looking for another trap door.  After a moment, she sighed.  She turned to Ryo.  "You have your pictures, yes?" he nodded.  "Good.  With this discovery I have a lot of work to do.  Do me a favor and leave your number in my trailer.  I'll call if I find anything along your lines." she dismissed him rather stiffly and continued to examine to room.

Ryo went back to Rowen's.  Rowen mindlessly asked the obvious: how was it.  Ryo hesitated.  If he told Rowen that Astraea was back in Japan... It could be drastic.  Those two had been in deep before she just disappeared without a trace.  Moved.  Gone.  Goodbye.  If the war had never occurred, Rowen probably would have turned into a basket case.  But Talpa was a distraction.  So was school.  So was work.  He was running, Ryo assumed.  He had never gotten over Astraea...  He told Rowen about Dr. Osirus' discovery.  Saying absolutely nothing about who Dr. Osirus really was.  When the other three showed up later that night for a dinner get together, Ryo did the same thing.  Astraea's return was between him and Astraea, simply.  It would be drastic, he assumed, if they found out that their old friend, the first to know about them being Ronin Warriors, was back in town.

Astraea had been around on the first attack by Talpa.  The six teens had gone to the movies after school to see the Star Wars showing.  During the movie Dynasty Soldier appeared out of nowhere.  Ruined the movie.  Everyone in the theater but the Ronins and Astraea, who Rowen had protected with a vengeance, disappeared into Talpa's Nether Realm.  

At dusk Ryo's cell phone started ringing.  He walked over, putting the technology to his ear.  "Hello?" he asked calmly, wondering who would be calling him.  That thing never went off.

"_Ryo, I think you should come back_..." Astraea's voice was distant.  Amazed.  A little tense.

"What do you mean?"  Asked Ryo doubtfully.  He really didn't like this keeping secrets thing.  And she wasn't helping by calling.

"_I mean the Ronin Warriors have just become involved in archeology_." Astraea snapped.  She sighed.  "_Sorry.  Just... Just... come here and bring the guys... as soon as you can_." she hung up.

Ryo's eyes had gone wide at the words Ronin Warriors and now four puzzled men were staring at him.  Ryo stared another moment, blinked, shook his head, and prepared to tell the tale on the way to the dig site.  Yet again avoiding the whole Astraea thing.  He made up a lie.  "Dr. Osirus said that she found something involving our kanji.  Warlords too." Which was why he had Cye calling the Warlord's apartment and telling them where to go and fast.  

After about an hour of guilty pressure, Ryo stepped out of his car and the Ronins and Warlords (who had just gotten there themselves) were all staring at Astraea.  She was in return staring at them. Pointedly, avoiding Rowen's eyes.  She frowned, sad.  She pushed her glasses back up her nose at the exact same time Rowen did.  Ryo still wondered, after so many years, how they would be so timed to do that.  Sure, after about two months of dating they had figured out that they could do that without realizing... everyone thought it was funny.  Now it was just creepy.

"As?" Kento asked doubtfully after a moment of awkward silence.  She nodded.  "Where've you been, babs?"

Astraea giggled. Nervously.  "Well... I've been…er… places... I couldn't bring myself to say goodbye... to tell you... I didn't know how... But I've found these caves in there..." She jerked her thumb in the direction of the caves Ryo had earlier been in.  "And a lot of things I remember seeing the Ronin Warriors involved with..."  She cast her eyes down again.  She looked near tears and avoiding Rowen's gaze with a passion.

The Ronins kept quiet themselves.  This was more of a Rowen/Astraea issue than theirs.  The Warlords and Kayura gave them strange looks for the goings on but seemed to read the situation between Strata and the woman and kept their silence as well.  Astraea lead them through the first two rooms and then down a tunnel.  It was silent.  It was a heavy silence.  Astraea wanted to scream.  Everyone wanted to scream.  The Warlords to know what was going on, the other Ronins to get the old couple to talk, and Rowen to demand what she was thinking when she just up and disappeared.

"You could have told us." Rowen finally muttered.  It was dark, rather bitter. Depressed.

"I know." Astraea could barely be heard over the silence.

"A note, call, anything but just going."

"I didn't know what to say."

"'I-have-to-leave.'" Rowen replied curtly.  His voice was rising steadily as the things he's wanted to say all these years finally got their chance.  "That seems to work well."

"I'm sorry, okay?" Astraea snapped.  "I left, I said nothing, I came back to do my job, and you got involved.  I didn't want you to be because one:  my friends are the Ronin Warriors.  They fight evil.  They hate their job.  I know this well.  And Two:  because I didn't want to put you through my coming back."

"Oh THAT'S such a wonderful excuse..."

Astraea whirled around.  She glared at him.  "Oh-kay, I deserved that..." she said after a moment and stalked forward again.

"You'd think that a girl with an IQ higher than mine, however, could at least find four words to put on a piece of paper..."

Again, the woman whirled around.  Everyone else was ignored.  "THAT I didn't deserve, Rowen!  YOU try having my life!  You have NO idea what I've been through these last years... You don't know what I've been through AT ALL."

"Today on The Young and the Restless." Cale muttered.  "We're here on Ronin business, remember, children? Not to fulfill the soap-lover's daily fill of love-difficulties and betrayal."  He gave the arguing pair a look of 'no kidding' and waited for them to go back to life before the 'Young and the Restless' started.  (oh, so ya know.  I don't like soap operas.  They're boring.  Cale does.  He's just weird like that.  It's what the Mortal Realm does to men...)

Astraea stared at the floor a moment.  "I'm sorry..." she muttered.

"You already said that." Rowen replied darkly.

Astraea sent him The Look.  He flinched.  "Not about that!... About.... About...."  She bit her lip, shaking. She looked like she really didn't like the way things were going.

"Well spit it out, child." Dais said.  He glanced around the room.  This place was giving him the creeps.

"This." Astraea waved her arms in front of her and started backing up.  The room changed.  It looked like some sort of strange throne room.  And in the throne sat some man in a bad suit and cape swirling champagne.  Astraea backed up towards him, head bowed.  She fidgeted, entwining her fingers and refusing to look up from the floor.  She was still chewing her lip.

The Ronins all looked around in mass confusion.  There were armored soldiers framing the room, poised and ready to kill them.  They stared at the ringleader.  He tipped his glass at them and suddenly the nine fighters found themselves suspended from the ceiling by a web of chains…..

`~~~

Loki: Ahhh left it at a bit of a cliffhanger… Yay me!  Anyways… Reviews are greatly appreciated and please-please-PLEASE note that I do not own the Ronins.  I do own Astraea, however.  As well as a few characters soon to come… I own Hariel, but not the name.  Because I'm going by the dubbed version so you get to meet the alleged creator of the Inferno Armor!  Yay you!  The name Hariel belongs to the dubbing people who forced Rowen to say the line that he'll never live down ("You… you're a man!"… And let's not forget!  "Lady Kayura!  She's a girl!"  I mean, I get what he was saying but he could have chosen better words to put his point through…. Oh.  And Niji'll kill me should she ever read this.  She's a big Ro-chan Fan.  So am I… but I find the line quite entertaining… I'm babbling…).  Oh, and if this seems a bit Mary Sue to you, sorry…  It'll get kookier and hopefully not so Mary Sue as it goes along… Now if you'll excuse me… I have a bit of insanity to develop (mainly my own…) while listening to the kookie sounds of the King Of Pop Music…  ::walks away singing 'Thriller' to herself::  

~'~@ Toodles!!


	2. Long Story of Betrayal

 **_Past Present and Future Confusion_**

**__**

**Neko**** Majikku/Loki Weasley     **

**Part Two:  Long Story of Betrayal**

"NO!"  Astraea cried, trying to run forward.  Two soldiers grabbed her arms.  She stared, wide-eyed in horror and waves of negative energy passed through the nine Ronins.  "STOP!  STOP!!  YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T HURT THEM!!!" she screamed at the man behind her.

He only chuckled.  "Well, Astraea... I lied."  More soldiers came in on the girl.  The waves of energy had stopped forcing themselves through every inch of the fighters and they watched as Astraea disappeared under maybe ten or twenty soldiers.  The man was laughing.  He took a sip of his champagne and again raised it to the Ronins.  "Tastes good.  I congratulate you humans." he told them.

From where Astraea had disappeared came a brilliant blue flash of light.  Soldiers flew in all directions, charred and smoking.  Dead once again.  Spirits freed from the armor.  Astraea stood, hair covering her eyes, arm out still from where she had punched a soldier away.  Her back was to the man.  She was heaving and faintly glowing.  She started laughing.  It was barely audible at first, but then she was holding her sides laughing like a mad woman.  Tears were running down her cheeks she was so hysterical.

Rowen narrowed his eyes at the woman.  She had betrayed them all!!  And now she was laughing!!  His fists clenched as the woman finally gained some control over herself and stood with her hands to her sides, still shaking from time to time with giggles.

"It's amazing..." Astraea muttered.  "How I'm supposedly the smartest of the Nine... and yet... I fell for you again..." She turned on her heel, eyes burning into the man calmly watching her and drinking champagne.  "You'd think after I DIED for your cause and found that you killed my parents DAYS after you seduced me I'd learn... But nooooo.... I had to follow you again when you promised to not bring the others back... And now.  When you said you wouldn't hurt the Ronins...  You know what, Master?" she asked, holding up a finger and grinning at her realization, head tilted to the side.

"What, my favorite Warrior?" the man asked curiously.  Calmly.  Without much interest.

"GO TO HELL!!"  Astraea turned again, leapt, and took hold of the chains that held Rowen.  She searched his pockets.   "I'm really-really-really sorry about leaving and about this and I'll find a way to make it up to you!" she said quickly, finding what she was looking for and dropped back down.  When she landed, she spun neatly on her heel and kicked the head off an advancing soldier.  

The Ronins wondered how she suddenly was so skilled, off handedly.  When they knew her should could barely throw a punch.  But, she wasn't the same Astraea.  After all, apparently she was following the lead of this guy.  Astraea destroyed a few more soldiers and clasped her hands around the thing she had taken from Rowen.  The soldiers once again piled on her.  She ignored them.  After a moment a brilliant blue flash erupted around her.  "ARMOR OF STRATA!!!  DAO INOCHI!!" she screamed from within the mass.  Soldiers again went flying madly.  And she stood in the midst of it all wearing Strata sans helmet.  Her black hair was hanging over her shoulders loosely.  Astraea went to destroying soldiers with hundreds of arrows.  She jumped over the mass and backed herself into a corner.

"Now what are you going to do, my favorite warrior?" asked the man.  "You were my favorite, you know."

"You say that to all your dogs." Astraea spat.  She aimed her arrow at the horde of oncoming soldiers.  "ARROW SHOCKWAVE!" she cried, moving at the last second.  Instead of hitting the soldiers, she cut down every one of the Ronins.  They dropped to the floor.  "CALL YOUR ARMORS!!" she screamed over the noise in the small room.

"ARMOR OF WILDFIRE!!" Ryo didn't need her to tell her the obvious.  "DAO JIN!!" Eight separate explosions of light and sakura and eight warriors stood in a circle around the unprotected Rowen.

The man was laughing.  "What good will this do you, Astraea?"

Astraea snorted.  "Its Strata to you, Talpa!" she yelled back.

"Talpa?" the nine Ronins all echoed.

"Do I look different?" Talpa asked with a grin.  He held out his arms.  "This body is quite suited for my plans..."

Astraea snarled.  "Riiiiight." she replied, leaping over the soldiers and firing wildly at Talpa.  All her shots were blocked, however, by a red blur.  When it slowed, Astraea was staring at a red haired woman holding two swords.  Her eyes were glowing white.  Astraea gasped.  "Hariel!" she cried.  The woman held her swords to Astraea as a response.  Astraea growled.  "KI-SAH-MAAHH!!" she screamed and ran for the Ronins.  "We have to get out of here- NOW!  Can any of you teleport!?" she asked, reaching the group and turning to defend from any followers.  

Each of the Warlords took a Ronin.  Leaving Rowen for Astraea.  She held out her hand.  "You wanna get out of here alive or not?" she asked.  Reluctantly, Rowen took her hand and she teleported out of the room and on top of a business building with the other Ronins.  She fell to her knees, giggling and rubbing her eyes.  "Third times the charm, huh?  He made me three promises and went back on every last one..."   She shook her head.  For some reason all of this was really funny.  "Gee, As, you're nine hundred some years old and yet still an idiot...  Well, at least you have something to be proud of." the Armor dissipated into her clothes and she stood up slowly.  "SO!" she said happily.  "Gonna kill me?  Chop me into little pieces and feed me to the wolves?  I'd understand completely, I mean, jeez, I worked for Talpa!  Lord of all that's evil!  Brought you right to him!  And, let's not forget, stole Rowen's Armor.  'Course, it WAS mine first but c'mon..." she sighed, shaking her head and grinning like an idiot.  "So go to it.  I'm yours."  She shrugged heavily.

The Ronins just stared.  They were still trying to process what was going on.  What had just happened?  Something about Talpa being back AGAIN... "Wait.  Wait.  Astraea, do me a favor.  Explain HOW you can even call on Strata." Ryo rubbed his temples, sighing.  This was going to be a long night...

Astraea stared at him a moment, rather amazed he hadn't cut her head off yet.  "Weeeeeeell.....  I suppose... I should start from 900 years ago...  I was growing up in Nagano, perfectly happy... And then this guy comes to me in my dreams offering me some Armor called Strata.  Thought I'd gone nuts until a bunch of spirits in armor came with a little grey orb one day saying that if I didn't join their 'great master'" She made quotations with her fingers as she said that, and waved her head in a sarcastic manner, "They'd kill me and my family...  Well, me being a moron, I said fine.  Long as my family was fine I'd go on the cosmic trip of insanity...  Let's fast forward some 400 years now.  

"Talpa had five girls fighting for him, all wearing 'mystical armor'" again the quotation marks.  "Me, Hardrock, Illusion, Venum, and Halo... Well...  The other four Ronins were fighting against us... Four girls... Their leader was named Hariel.  Yes, Hariel." she nodded at the confused looks.  The Ronins had always thought Hariel was a guy... "She was a cross-dresser.  Something about wanting to be strong..." Astraea waved it off.  "Well anyways.  She came up with the idea of creating the Inferno Armor.  Yay her.  Weeeeeeeell....  In a big fight involving all of us...  The five of us Warlady-people figured out that we'd been gypped, much like those four did..." she waved a hand at the Warlords, pacing... "And so we sealed the doors again... It cost all nine of us our lives...  Nice, huh?  

"That site you were at?  It was our tomb.  We died on that spot so thus we were buried there.  Fast forward a few hundred years now, people.  Talpa brings me back to life... I was having such a wonderful afterlife, after all...  And says that if I can get the names of the new Ronin Warriors my comrades would remain in their eternal sleep.  I don't know WHY I didn't just kill myself then and there and go back to sleep but obviously, being the genius of the group, I did as told with the thought the others would get to rest... I met you five and did something that's even more ingenious than believing that thing back there... I fell head-over-heels in love!  Yay me!  I fell in love with the enemy!" she hopped on one foot with a foolish grin.  "Weeeeell, I completed my mission, trying to fight my emotions.  You see, it was either your names or my friends who had been living some kinda of sadistic Hell for a few hundred years before they actually died.  I mean, you had the Armor, you could kick his ass, sure, go ahead.  I gave him the names... and being I had no idea how I was gonna write a note saying 'hey, I'm the enemy and I'm leaving because I've had a huge change of heart so thus I can't stick around to watch you fight...' Oh.  And there's the fact that I'd be a bit in the way, you know.... I left.

"So I went of to Egypt and hung out with these people in some place called the City of the Dead for a few years until once AGAIN Talpa wanted me to do his dirty work.  This time he assured me that you would not be harmed and my friends would continue to rest while I plagued the earth in misery...  So, what the Hell?  I dug up a chamber in our tomb, called a photographer- Ryo- and pretended to find a secret passage- which actually leads to my tomb, but anyway.  And then had all of you come to see some marvelous cave- which was an illusion, actually.  See, that hall is really covered in pictures of battles I had been in and had we gone on further you would have gotten to see my favorite bedroom- the only place I've had any good rest in the past near millennium....  I gave you to Talpa and he YET AGAIN goes back on his words... You see, my family was killed a few days after I joined Talpa.  He neglected to tell me that. It was a bit of a shock when they came to see me in the Spirit World.... So... Talpa starts to pump evil energy into you and being your hearts are pure it was rather painful.  He goes yet again back on his words... I take back Strata, set you free, and attempt to do away with Talpa but instead I find Hariel's been brought back... I think it's safe to assume all three of my bargains have been rejected and we're about to fight the first set of Ronin Warriors.  

"So!  That's my sob-story.  I was the enemy; I turned you guys in twice.  Kill me.  Slice me, dice me, do whatever you will.  I deserve it." she said, folding her arms.  "In fact I welcome it.  I want to go back to being dead.  See, being dead's a lot easier on the brain then all these emotions and friendships and..." she looked directly at Rowen.  "Love..." she muttered, turning around.   "So do what thou will, I don't care."  

There was a long pause.  I mean looooooong.  The information was still being processed.  Finally, Kayura spoke up.  "We won't do that.  Astraea, you saved our lives.  You realized your mistake.  The Warlords and I have done the same thing." she said simply.  "And you can help us."

Astraea turned slowly around while Kayura spoke, eyebrow raised, giving her a look or 'are you kidding me?'  "Me?  Help you?  I've done plenty of that as it is." she laughed darkly.  "Nearly gotten all of you killed... Twice, if you think about it."

"But you know the other Ronins.  We can find a way to send them back.  Free them." 

Astraea sighed.  She turned around again and started walking away.  "Well, for your first lesson Talpa can't get into this Realm yet.  You're safe.  I'm going to go see if there are any shrinks awake at this hour.  I'm sure I blew something sooner or later in the past near millennia." she disappeared into the night and it was silent.

"So... what now?" Kento asked, turning to the leader of their group not by choice but by the fact everyone figured him as it.  

Ryo sighed.  "Like I have any clue.  Obviously she's on our side.  Talpa's screwed up her life.  She hates him.  Let's just go home and get some sleep... I think I need a shrink myself... I'm going nuts..." Ryo groaned, rubbing his head.  He and Rowen headed to the Ronin of Strata's home to spend the night sleepless, wondering why the Hell they even tried to be normal in the first place.  They should have just seen that it would all come crashing down on top of them but that's okay. 

Astraea marched up to Rowen's apartment door and turned around and retraced her steps.  When she made it to the elevator she repeated to the process.  She stopped at the door; hand poised to knock, spun on her heel and retreated halfway to the elevator lift.  She did this again.  "I gotta go…" she resolved.  "No I don't." She muttered, turning again.  "Yes I do… No I don't!  Yes! No!!  Ahhhh…."  This lasted about five minutes.  Finally she stood and stayed there, about halfway between the elevator and the door, face in her hands, sighing heavily.  What was she doing?  He hated her!  She almost got him killed!  BUT!  Astraea pulled the grey orb out of her back pocket and stared at it.  She had this.  It was his now. No way in Hell she wanted it. Astraea shut her eyes, took a deep breath and this time actually knocked on the door.  She was prepared to bolt but for some reason her legs weren't moving.  Like they had been super glued to the spot or something.  Ryo answered the door, took one look at her, and turned.  "He'll be right with you." he said.  Astraea wondered how he knew that was what she came for but shook it off.  Ryo did that a lot.

Ryo walked back to Rowen's room.  "As wants to talk to you."

"Like I want to talk to her." Rowen replied, staring into the bathroom mirror.  He had been there for the past hour and a half trying to identify who it was staring back at him.  No such luck.

"Come on, Rowen!!  She still cares about you- loves you!  She's taking a huge chance by coming here, you know.  She was the enemy some couple hours ago.  But she's redeemed and she wants to help... well... no.  She didn't want to help... But anyway." Ryo grabbed Rowen's coat off his bed and pulled the man to the door.  "Swallow your pride, talk to the woman, make up, and be happy again, Ro!" he shoved Rowen into plain view of the front door and he had no choice but to go up to the woman, who was waving meekly at him.

"Hi... Rowen... You wanna... You wanna... go for a walk?" she asked nervously, gesturing at the elevator.

"It's almost dawn." Rowen replied.

Astraea stared at him as if she never realized this...  "Oh... Oh… well.  That doesn't matter.  Will you?" she asked again.  

"Fine..." Rowen shut the door behind him and walked in silence beside the woman all the way to the park.  They were both trying to figure out what they were supposed to say the entire time.  The sun was starting to rise.

"Look, I-"

"Rowen, I'm-"

They spoke at the same time.  Stared in wonder a moment, then laughed sheepishly.  Man, this was awkward.

"Ladies first." Rowen said.

"Uhm... well... Here." Astraea put the grey orb which she had been clutching into his hand.  "It's yours.  I've spent 400 years as Strata.  I've... done my time." she chewed her lip.  That wasn't what she wanted to say but hey, at least she said something.  Better than nothing, right?

"Thanks... I think.  Uhm.  Astraea, is that really why you didn't say anything?"

"I didn't want to lie to you anymore..."

"How've you... been..."

"Miserable."

"Miserable?" he echoed.  

Astraea nodded once, biting her lip.  "See… I've been miserable everyday I've been alive ever since I said I'd follow Talpa for my family's life… Lotta good that did me… But, uh…. Except…. For when I was… when I was… with… you…" she muttered.  'With you' went unheard but just a mumble.  She cleared her throat nervously.  She really didn't enjoy this.  If growing up in the Nether Realm wasn't bad enough, one should try getting back a lost love after you've left without a word and turned up to be the enemy and then on your love's side again… THAT was just Hell.

"What?" Rowen asked.

"When I was with you, Rowen!  I-I-I… I don't know!  Maybe it was the fact we both fought with Strata!  SOMETHING attracts me to you!" Astraea ran her hands through her hair, eyes looking everywhere at once.

"Because of Armor?  You liked me because of my Armor?" Rowen asked doubtfully.

"Well that was my first intention, yes!  I wanted to get to know the boy who'd have my Armor."

"It's not yours now."

"And I don't want it."

"So you gave it to me?  Thought you liked me."

Astraea saw this was quickly going downhill.  But she was too annoyed with Rowen acting like all this was her fault to care.  "I did!  But it's yours now!  And it's NOT MY fault all this is happening!"  

"You were the one who worked for him.  You were the one who gave Talpa our identities.  You were the one that took us to him.  You fell for him."

"I had to protect my family!  My friends!  Like you, Rowen Hashiba!" Astraea hissed his name.

"By fighting for evil, Astraea?  By turning us in twice?  You sure have a funny way of showing protection."

"What would YOU have done, you're so smart?!" Astraea demanded.

"Would've stolen the Armor and protected my family.  Either that or died with honor.  Not followed orders like some puppet." Rowen replied darkly.  As if this was common sense.  Which to him it was.

"Well excuse me for being a mere mortal!" (Courtesy of Duo Maxwell, Gundam Wing.  I don't own him or that line. But it fits.) Astraea shrieked and stalked off, leaving Rowen behind.  He returned to his apartment just as Ryo was finishing breakfast and slammed his bedroom door behind him.

Ryo stared.  "Well it must have gone well." He muttered casually to no-one unparticular.  He sighed.  "Children."

'~~~

Loki:  Chapter Two!!  Yay!! The plot thickens!!  Astraea's the enemy but not quite!!  She doesn't want to help the Ronins but wants to kick Talporian ass.  Is Talporian a word?  Anyway…  She and Rowen are seeing sparks… will that make the rest of the team suffer?  Hell yeah!!  You ever have friends squabble around you?  It's torture and you're not even directly involved!!  Stay tuned, for when Past Present and Future Confusion returns… Rowen'll have amnesia and Cye'll have a long-lost child… I'm kidding…

~`~@ "And don't forget, if you're talking about me among yourselves, call me Snuffles, okay?" Which was said by Sirius Black in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire…  It's his death wish, if you ask me.   Snuffles!  HA!! 


End file.
